Patricia L. Tomich

A meta-analytic review of benefit finding and growth.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis to examine the relations of benefit finding to psychological and physical health as well as to a specific set of demographic, stressor, personality, and coping correlates. Results from 87 cross-sectional studies reported in 77 articles showed that benefit finding was related to less depression and more positive well-being but also more intrusive and avoidant thoughts about the stressor. Benefit finding was unrelated to anxiety, global distress, quality of life, and subjective reports of physical health. Moderator analyses showed that relations of benefit finding to outcomes were affected by the amount of time that had passed since stressor onset, the benefit finding measured used, and the racial composition of the sample.

Does Self-Reported Posttraumatic Growth Reflect Genuine Positive Change?

In this study, we evaluated the validity of self-reported posttraumatic growth (PTG) by assessing the relation between perceived growth and actual growth from pre- to posttrauma. Undergraduate students completed measures tapping typical PTG domains at Time 1 and Time 2 (2 months later). We compared change in those measures with scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) for those participants who reported a traumatic event between Time 1 and Time 2 (n = 122). PTGI scores generally were unrelated to actual growth in PTG-related domains. Moreover, perceived growth was associated with increased distress from pre- to posttrauma, whereas actual growth was related to decreased distress, a pattern suggesting that perceived and actual growth reflect different processes. Finally, perceived (but not actual) growth was related to positive reinterpretation coping. Thus, the PTGI, and perhaps other retrospective measures, does not appear to measure actual pre- to posttrauma change.

Emotion Regulation as a Mediator of Associations Between Mother-Child Attachment and Peer Relationships in Middle Childhood

Although a link between attachment and peer relationships has been established, the mechanisms that account for this link have not been identified. The 1st goal of this study was to test emotion regulation as a mediator of this link in middle childhood. The 2nd goal was to examine how different aspects of emotion regulation relate to peer competence. Fifth graders completed self-report and semiprojective measures to index mother-child attachment, mothers reported on childrens emotionality and coping strategies, and teachers reported on childrens peer competence. Constructive coping was related to both attachment and peer competence, and mediated the association between attachment and peer competence, suggesting that emotion regulation is one of the mechanisms accounting for attachment-peer links. Constructive coping was more strongly associated with peer competence for children high on negative emotionality than for children low on negative emotionality.

Attachment-based Assessments of Parent-Child Relationships in Middle Childhood.

Although a number of measures have been developed to assess parent-child attachments, validity data on middle-childhood measures are lacking. The present study tested attachment-based measures of parent-child relationships designed for the later middle-childhood years (9-12 years of age). Self-reports from children assessed perceptions of security and avoidant and preoccupied coping. Some children also completed a projective interview assessing attachment state of mind. Mothers and fathers reported their willingness to serve as an attachment figure and were rated for responsiveness. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 3rd and 6th graders and their parents. A 2-year follow-up on the younger sample provided data on the stability of the measures. There were modest associations across the different measures and moderate to high stability. The attachment-based measures were also related to teacher ratings of childrens school adaptation.

Cognitive adaptation theory and breast cancer recurrence: Are there limits?

Relations of the components of cognitive adaptation theory (self-esteem, optimism, control) to quality of life and benefit finding were examined for 70 women (91% Caucasian) diagnosed with Stage I, II, or III breast cancer over 5 years ago. Half of these women experienced a recurrence within the 5 years; the other half remained disease free. Women were matched on age, race, stage of disease, and intervention condition. Baseline perceptions of personal control over illness, but not general self-esteem or optimism, were associated with womens reports of worse physical functioning, worse mental functioning, and less benefit finding 5 years later for recurrent women but not disease-free women. These findings highlight the notion that there may be boundary conditions on the adaptiveness of perceived control.

Posttraumatic Growth Following Cancer: Links to Quality of Life

This study examined the linkage of posttraumatic growth (PTG) to quality of life (QOL) among individuals newly diagnosed with cancer. Individuals (26 men, 36 women) reported PTG 3 months postdiagnosis (T1) and 3 months later (T2). Cross-sectional analyses revealed a linear association between PTG and QOL-more PTG was related to worse mental health at T1 (β = -.28). PTG, however, revealed a quadratic relationship with depressive symptoms at T1 and physical health at T2: Individuals with high or low levels of PTG had fewer depressive symptoms and better QOL than those with moderate levels. Longitudinal analyses revealed a linear association between PTG and QOL; more PTG at T1 predicted better physical health at T2. There were no longitudinal curvilinear associations. Although the linear links of PTG to QOL were contradictory within this study, both of the curvilinear relations, although not robust, confirm previous research. Further analyses differentiated low, medium, and high PTG groups in terms of perceiving cancer as stressful, intrusive thoughts, and coping strategies. Overall, relations of PTG to adjustment may be more complex and dynamic than previously assumed. Clinicians should consider the notion that more growth may sometimes, but not always, be better.

Gender differences in the perception of sexuality : Methodological considerations

The present study of gender differences in the perception of sexuality was designed to systematically vary verbal and nonverbal videotaped cues of a conversation between a male-female dyad. Comparisons were made between 78 males and 99 females who were primarily Caucasian and enrolled in general psychology courses. Participants were able to either see and hear, to only see, or to only hear the same interaction. In the see and hear condition, there were no gender differences in the perception of sexuality; in the see only condition, females rated the actress lower in sexuality; and in the hear only condition, males rated the actress higher in sexuality. Results indicate that methodological differences may account for contradictory findings in prior studies.

Prospective risk factors for subsequent exposure to potentially traumatic events

Abstract In a sample of 1528 college students, we examined (1) whether several risk factors prospectively predicted exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) over a 2-month period and (2) whether dependent events (i.e., those more likely to depend upon ones behavior or characteristics) and independent events were predicted by different risk factors. Logistic regression analyses indicated that overall subsequent PTE exposure was higher for women, those with more previous PTEs, and those who engaged in more binge drinking. Female gender and previous PTE exposure also predicted exposure to independent events. Subsequent dependent PTE exposure was predicted by more previous PTEs and binge drinking, and was somewhat higher in ethnic minority students. Implications for prevention efforts are discussed.